The Board of Directors of Hormel Foods, a Fortune 500 global branded food company, today announced a 3 percent increase to the annual dividend to shareholders, marking the 59th consecutive annual dividend increase. The annual dividend on the common stock of the Corporation was raised to $1.16 per share from $1.13 per share. The Board of Directors authorized the first quarterly dividend of 29.00 cents a share to be paid on February 18, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 13, 2025. The February 18, 2025 payment will be the 386th consecutive quarterly dividend paid…

Key News Asian equities were a sea of red except for Hong Kong, which managed to end in the green. President Trump’s tariff threat on China, Canada, and Mexico (if they don’t address drug and immigration) roiled Asia markets, and the Bessent nomination rally lasted a day. Stepping up fentanyl ingredient export controls is an area in which the US and China are apt to find common ground, having done so previously, i.e., an easy win. By far the most important item today and arguably this month that you aren’t going to read anywhere else is the increase in Mainland…

CEFs are renowned (by the few people who know about these high-income funds, of course!) for their outsized dividends—around 8%, on average, across the board as I write this. But buying a CEF is not like buying a regular stock. When it comes to picking CEFs, we’ve got a whole bunch of different factors sitting in front of us that we need to weigh. Sometimes CEFs Are Cheap for a Reason There are, for example, some things that go beyond, say, past performance or discounts to net asset value (NAV, or the value of a fund’s portfolio—the main measure of…

The Consumer Price Index report for November will be released on December 11. Inflation is down substantially from peak levels, the key question is when and if inflation will hit the Federal Reserve’s 2% annual target. Inflation nowcasting suggests that headline inflation may see another increase to a 2.7% annual rate, that would be an increase from October’s 2.6%. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, may remain at 3.3%. That would be the same level as October. These nowcasts are produced by the Cleveland Federal Reserve. Overall the November CPI report may not be particularly reassuring to the Fed,…

How to cure a sagging stock price? For a growing number of micro-caps, it’s as easy as buying bitcoin and announcing it to the world. By Steven Ehrlich, Forbes Staff In late 2021, Semler Scientific, a promising Santa Clara-based medical technology company, was facing a world of trouble. Growth was slowing and the tiny company had just missed its Q3 revenue and earnings targets. Wall Street punished the stock, sending it 80% lower, as it was caught in the Nasdaq downdraft of early 2022 over inflationary fears and Fed tightening. Then in 2023, after $800 million of its $1 billion…

In the lead-up to any major election, financial media and social platforms buzz with speculation about potential market impacts. However, savvy investors know that the key to navigating these political transitions lies not in following narratives, but in focusing on hard data and historical trends. Election seasons are rife with uncertainty, a factor that typically keeps investors on edge. It creates a breeding ground for echo chambers and sensational speculation, often leading to emotional rather than rational investment decision-making. These narratives, usually propagated by media pundits and partisan operators, attempt to establish cause-and-effect relationships throughout financial markets and the nation’s…

In this article I use AAII’s A+ Investor Stock Grades to provide insight into three air freight and logistics stocks. With increasing global needs, you might consider the air freight and logistics stocks of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), Hub Group (HUBG) and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO). Air Freight And Logistics Stocks Recent News The global air freight and logistics market is tied to global gross domestic product (GDP) and is expected to grow at a 6.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2024 and 2032, particularly due to a surge in e-commerce logistics, global trade and time-sensitive products. In…

Warren Buffett is one of the most well-known investors through his publicly traded holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has built an impressive investing track record as well as a personal fortune. Buffett views a stock’s underlying business as the investor’s “margin of protection.” If the business is mediocre, the stock will do poorly if purchased cheaply because the gain is limited. But if you can buy a successful company that is growing at a price that makes economic sense, you can witness your investment’s growth in value along with the business. Buffett’s investing approach can be gleaned from his writings…

The stock market is in the favorable holiday season. First, Thanksgiving provides a boost and then the Christmas-New Year bullish effect kicks in. The December 15-January 11 interval is one of the most bullish periods in any year. Do not sell short or sit on cash. Energizer Holdings manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products. The three-up graph below depicts the daily technical condition in the top strip; the weekly data in the lower left strip; and the monthly position in the lower right strip. This is a classic picture of a longer-term turnaround. There are…

Stocks that struggle during the first ten months of the year often fall further during November and December, as some investors sell to realize a tax loss. Once the tax-motivated selling subsides, such stocks frequently bounce back in January. Each year, I offer a few January bounce candidates – ones that I also think may sustain gains during the coming year. Here are five Comeback Candidates for 2024. Pfizer The world’s largest pharmaceutical company by 2023 revenue, Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is down more than 13% year-to-date, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Total Return index is up 33%. Pfizer stock…